We will have trafficking boss behind bars soon – Thailand's top cop
Tanyaluk Sakoot


Gen Somyot and Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Khalid bin Abu Bakar after their meeting in Phuket

PHUKET: -- Thailand expects to have one of the top ringleaders of the southern Thailand human trafficking ring in custody soon, the country’s top policeman said in Phuket.

Speaking after a meeting with his Malaysian counterpart at the Westin Bay Siray Resort, General Somyot Pumpunmuang, Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police, said, “My special investigation team tells me that we will have good news soon.

“We are cooperating with the Malaysia government but at the moment we have not pinned down the exact whereabouts of the suspect.”

He gave no name but appeared to be talking about the former chairman of the Satun Provincial Adminstration Organisation, Pajjuban Angchotiphan, who has disappeared after an arrest warrant was issued for him.

He is believed to be on the resort island of Langkawi, just south of the Thai-Malaysian border, and Malaysia has been asked to grab him and send him back.

Asked whether it was true that the “big suspect” had tried to negotiate with the Thai Police, Gen Somyot replied, “We are making no concessions. If he wants to surrender he should just do so. If he doesn’t, we will follow and catch him. I am confident that Thai police officers will get him."

He said that arrest warrants are expected to be issued soon for more members of human trafficking gangs.

Gen Somyot’s counterpart, Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Khalid bin Abu Bakar, Inspector General of the Royal Malaysia Police, revealed that arrests have been taking place on his side of the border, too.

“In March and April we arrested seven groups totalling 38 people – 21 from Myanmar, 16 Malaysians and one Indonesian.

“These included ‘agency persons’ and two Malaysian policemen.

“We have also seized cash totalling MYR1.25 million (B10 million). and assets worth about MYR 3.75 million (B30 million).

“On Sunday (May 10) Malaysia officials found 555 Bangladeshi and 463 Burmese illegal immigrants dumped on the shore of Langkawi. Two transport ships were seized. We believe that they were brought from Thailand after the Thai government started to put pressure on the trafficking gangs.”

Asked whether any senior Thai police officers are expected to be moved for inaction on the trafficking issue, Gen Somyot said, “Anyone who is involved in human trafficking will be prosecuted, not simply moved. Two policemen have already been arrested.

“If we believe an officer is not doing his job properly we will investigate him. If he is found to have done his job properly he will be reinstated. If not, he will be punished.”

He told reporters that the most recent discoveries of detention camps and dead bodies were not the first. “I want to tell you that these are not the first camps we found. We found others before, but we did not tell the media about them. We did this [action against traffickers] because the Government made it a policy from January this year.

“We arrested illegal labourers and people traffickers and smugglers, and we found dead people.

“The government’s policy is very clear. And we are working closely with Malaysia on sharing intelligence and information about human trafficking.”

Dato’ Sri Khalid said, “The Malaysian government, too, is taking human trafficking and human smuggling very seriously. I can confirm what Gen Somyot just said. We are working very closely together.”

Asked whether the issue had been discussed with counterparts in Myanmar, Gen Somyot said, “It’s a complex issue. Thailand cannot solve it alone. We have to solve it together.

“Myanmar does not accept that the Rohingya are Burmese nationals but we have sent Pol Col Khemmarin Hassiri to talk with Myanmar about the problem.”

With all the current pressure Thailand is putting on human trafficking gangs, did Gen Somyot think the US might now lift Thailand from Tier 3 in its Trafficking in Persons listings – the lowest rank?

He replied, “You’ll have to ask the US about that. But we are working as hard as we can to solve all illegal activities, whether it be illegal labor, human trafficking or [other kinds of] transnational crime.”

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/we-will-have-trafficking-boss-behind-bars-soon-thailands-top-cop-52309.php


-- Phuket News 2015-05-14

Just do it and then tell the public ! Telegraphing punches serves no investigative purposes unless that's the intention of course. However it does get your picture and quotes in the media and make everything look good.

If the ' boss ' and others are overseas Thailand doesn't have much of a track record on bringing fugitives back

Why do these meeting happen at 5* resorts not in the office of the host?

. . . and Then we will release him after we get his bail money.

How many more bodies?

surely this was of international concern

Why the secrecy?

They do love a name the old Malaysians Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Khalid bin Abu Bakar .

They cannot stop this , Europe has been trying for years. If security becomes tighter the price for the Asylum seeker/economic migrant will go up

"We will have trafficking boss behind bars soon" but then how can he do my favorite Friday night tv show...

"I want to believe."

[The X Files.]

Heheee you gotta love reading some of these threads with the outrageous claims they make. With the world watching are you going to tell your boss negative news for him to make a statement with? Heck no. You will be telling him that out investigation team will have good news SOON. Even though at the moment they don't have a clue as to the whereabouts of those men. And then the stupid claim about if he doesn't surrender they will follow and catch him. How can they do his if they don't have a clue of his whereabouts?

Then of course it begs to wonder.. If by chance they find this ring leader or he surrenders it will not be long after that he will pay millions for a bond and be free again and on the run.

Please define sòon?

Or do they really mean ... the big guns have all fled the country but if they return we will arrest them

"We will have trafficking boss behind bars soon" but then how can he do my favorite Friday night tv show...

Exactly. What he means is that the scapegoat will soon be captured but the real bosses will never be caught as they are busy pretending to run the country.

Strange how all this could happen right under the noses of the military who's job is protection of borders. Maybe they were all busy on parade, polishing their medals or just counting the cash handouts!

Whenever these kingpins, big bosses or whatever they are called at the time manage to ' escape ', with advance warning one way or another, does LoS really want them back as they know too much, can name names etc. so it's better to go through the charade of ' pursuing ' them while nothing happens except all the inflated talk.

Just do it and then tell the public ! Telegraphing punches serves no investigative purposes unless that's the intention of course. However it does get your picture and quotes in the media and make everything look good.

If the ' boss ' and others are overseas Thailand doesn't have much of a track record on bringing fugitives back

Sooner or later Dubai's district known as "Little Siam" may be overcrowded.

"We did this [action against traffickers] because the Government made it a policy from January this year."

I do not know why all these official statements come out so wrong when translated to English, I can't believe he actually said it like that in Thai??

If he actually said it like it was written in the report, I have to assume that before January this year, according to government policy, it was OK to engage in human trafficking, slavery and murder of innocent people???

"We did this [action against traffickers] because the Government made it a policy from January this year."

I do not know why all these official statements come out so wrong when translated to English, I can't believe he actually said it like that in Thai??

If he actually said it like it was written in the report, I have to assume that before January this year, according to government policy, it was OK to engage in human trafficking, slavery and murder of innocent people???

There was a statement made recently, with words to the effect of "this issue has been overlooked in the past, and we are now getting very serious about tackling it" [paraphrased] which I took as a very positive step, not least because it is an admission of past failures, something that is rare enough to catch my eye.

These people care far more about image and nothing about actually stopping this trafficking nightmare.

"We will have trafficking boss behind bars soon Thailand's top cop"

"Oh, thank you for the warning, we won't get caught next time..."

The authorities have known about trafficking for years. It is nothing new. People, drugs, fishing, animal parts, rare animals, timber, contraband - its all a huge business and nothing much comes close to a crack down. They could have stopped this and been proactive much earlier and demonstrated to the international community that were on top of their game. There are good laws in Thailand ........ but lack of will to enforce them by the very people charged with the task trips it up every-time and that is why we end up with a limp PR exercise and egg all over the faces of people who should command the greatest of respect for doing a great job in the first place.

Just do it and then tell the public ! Telegraphing punches serves no investigative purposes unless that's the intention of course. However it does get your picture and quotes in the media and make everything look good.

If the ' boss ' and others are overseas Thailand doesn't have much of a track record on bringing fugitives back

You have experience doing police work. Or just need to hear yourself talk and find fault.

The authorities have known about trafficking for years. It is nothing new. People, drugs, fishing, animal parts, rare animals, timber, contraband - its all a huge business and nothing much comes close to a crack down. They could have stopped this and been proactive much earlier and demonstrated to the international community that were on top of their game. There are good laws in Thailand ........ but lack of will to enforce them by the very people charged with the task trips it up every-time and that is why we end up with a limp PR exercise and egg all over the faces of people who should command the greatest of respect for doing a great job in the first place.

another know it all has spoken.

These people care far more about image and nothing about actually stopping this trafficking nightmare.

What are you doing to help?

Just do it and then tell the public ! Telegraphing punches serves no investigative purposes unless that's the intention of course. However it does get your picture and quotes in the media and make everything look good.

If the ' boss ' and others are overseas Thailand doesn't have much of a track record on bringing fugitives back

You have experience doing police work. Or just need to hear yourself talk and find fault.

30 years doing police ' work ' and you or you just like to check posts and find fault ?

"We will have trafficking boss behind bars soon" Then he will be out on bail and we will never see him again

Yeah, don't hold your breath.

And than he will get the same penalty as the Red Bull heir, after killing a police man with his car:

He will walk...away

How did this report on how police were this ][ far from catching the Koh Samui bombing get mixed in with the human trafficking story?

How did this report on how police were this ][ far from catching the Koh Samui bombing get mixed in with the human trafficking story?

The bomber is also the ring leader for human trafficking. I hope he confesses to the Ko-Tao murders so we can get back to the serious issue of lottery ticket pricing.[emoji18]

"We did this [action against traffickers] because the Government made it a policy from January this year."

I do not know why all these official statements come out so wrong when translated to English, I can't believe he actually said it like that in Thai??

If he actually said it like it was written in the report, I have to assume that before January this year, according to government policy, it was OK to engage in human trafficking, slavery and murder of innocent people???

I believe it was translated exactly as it was meant. Its the general attitude here, there is no other way to spin it.

Good examples of this attidude.

Days later, Thailand incurred a fresh wave of criticsim from human rights groups after it was the only country to vote against a U.N. treaty requiring countries to punish perpetrators of forced labor.

Before reversing its decision, the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the country voted against the protocol because “Thailand has to seriously consider her own readiness to implement such an instrument, in conformity with relevant Thai laws.” http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/735946-southern-thai-police-inspect-fishing-boats-in-search-of-human-traffickers/

Officials from Thailand visited the island earlier this week, but their trip was focused on finding Thai nationals who had been trafficked. They denied mistreatment on the boats and said the crews were all Thai, which directly contradicted what the Indonesians and the AP found.“We examined the boats and the crews, and the result is most of the crews are happy and a few of them are sick and willing to go home,” said Thai police Lt. Gen. Saritchai Anekwiang, who was leading the delegation. “Generally, the boat conditions are good.”

http://www.cctv-america.com/2015/04/03/hundreds-of-fishermen-rescued-amid-indonesian-slavery-probe

i like the capture of 30 NON Thais but no Thais caught, darned foreigners again eh?

Is anyone else becoming jaded with these 'we WILL's' and 'SOON's'. What has actually been achieved? Besides taking out his high level opposition? The much lauded 'action' against the trafficking of Rohinya has resulted in what, exactly. No one wants them and they're about to be pushed out to sea, again. Fishing trawlers and their devastating effect upon marine ecology are to be 'registered'. That is 'legalised', so that'll stop them then. Same as it ever was.